Leather-cutting machine.



W. GORDDN.

LEATHER CUTTING MACHINE(- 'APPLIOATION FILED sEPT.2s,19o.`

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. GORDON.

LEATHER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED sEPT.25,19o8.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Umirin) STATES PATENT omnes.

WILLIAM GRDON, OF ISLAND REEK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITE-1D SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom-t may concern.' Be it known thatl, VILLIAM GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Island Creek, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-Cutting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as wi'll' enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to machines for cutting out sheet material such as upper leather for boots or shoes andparticularly to machines of the type known to the trade as f clicking machines.

Another object lof .the invention to to a machine which can be operated with a minimum amount of vibration and yet will be so constructed as to insure clean cutting of the material at each operation.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the construction of machines of this type and to reduce the number and the Weights of the moving parts.

A further object of the invention is to insure quickness of operation.

In the accompanying drawings illust-rating the kpreferred form of the invention, Figurel is a side elevation .of a machine embodying the invention i-n its preferred form; Fig. 2- is a fro-nt elevation with parts shown in section; Fig. 3 is a side elevationl of the hammer'carrier and hammer on an enlarged scale; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views of the valve.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is described as follows: i

The machine is provided with suitable frame work which carries a cutting block 1 supportedin a horizontal position on the` frame of the machine. The hammer carrier and hammer, indicated in a general way with the reference character 2, is supported upon a swinging arm 3, in turn ad]ustably mounted upon an upright post 4 supported inthe frame of the machine.- The arm 3 is supported upon a sleeve 5 upon which it may turn.- The sleeve 5 is adapted to be 'adjust-ably secured to thepost 4 by any suitable means, permitting the sleeve to be raised and lowered and secured in the desired position on the post 4. When so se- `cured in position, it affordsl a support for the arm 3, which permits the arm to be Specication of Letters Patent.

LEATHER-CUTTING MACHINE.

ratente'dDec.3o,1913-.

Application filed September 25, 1908. Serial No. 454,738.

'with al hammer plate supported parallel to the upper face of the cutting block 1. Springs 12 normally hold the hammer in raised position as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2.

The hammer is caused to make its cutting blow by the use of compressed air which is conducted to the space above the piston by means of the air passage 13. The compressed air is conducted to the passage by means of a flexible pipe 14 which leads the air to the valve'casing 15 having its end screwed into the air passage 13. The valve member consists of a tapered plug 16 re'- ceived in a tapered opening of the valve casing 15. This tapered plug is adapted to be turned so as to bring an admission port 17 into registry with the supply passage 18 of the valve casing. When the admission port 17 registers with the supply passage 18, the exhaust port 19 in the plug 16 is moved t0 the left of the position shown in Fig. 5 and out of registry with the exhaust passage 20 in the valve ycasing 15. With the parts in the irst position the compressed air flows from the pipe 14 through the supply passage 18, the port 17, into the hollow plug 16 and through that hollow plug and the passage 13 to the space above the piston 10, thereby causing the pist-on to descend and strike the knife, located in position on the leather, a quick sharp blow. The plug 16 is operated by means of a lever 21 secured to its outer The hammer carrier 6 end. This lever 21 is provided with a tooth 100 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 22. W'hen the pawl is thrust in the direction of the i arrow, illustrated in Fig. 3,*it turns the plug in the direction to admit compressed air to the cylinder. The turning of the lever 21 10.5

' opening Aof the valve and the striking of the blow by the hammer, also causes the valve to be closed. When the valve. is closed the outlet port 19 of the plug 16 is brought into registry to the outlet passage 20 of the valve casing and the pressure on the upper side of the piston 10 is immediately relieved by the exhaustion of the air from the cylinder, whereupon the springs 12 can lift the hammer. Thus the hammer is caused to deliver a quick sharp blow and to be immediately and quickly lifted again. The means for moving the pawl comprise an arm 26 mounted on the rock shaft 27 pivotally sup' ported in a boss 28 integral with the hammer cylinder 9. This rock shaft 27 is provided with a pinion 29 which is engaged by a rack 30 formed on a shank of the handle 31, the shank being received in a hole in the boss 28. When the handle 31 is depressed, its rack operates to rotate the pinion 29 by causing the arm 26 to move the pawl 22.1n the direction of the arrow of Fig. 3, which causes the hammer to strike the blow inthe manner above described. The pawl 22 is engaged by a spring 32 which normally tends to move it in the direction to cause its end to be pressed against the lever 21. The handle 31, being supported in the hammer carrier, affords means for moving the hammer carrier inward or outward onthe 'arm 3 and for swinging said arm laterally and also to throw the hammer into operation.

Two rods 33, one on each side of the hammer plate 11, pass through ears 34 projecting outwardly from the walls of the ham'- mer cylinder 9 and carry nuts 35 upon their upper ends which serve to support the hammer from the hammer cylinder when the springs 12 are removed.

It is to be observed that the weight of the parts operated to strike the blow upon the knife is reduced to as relatively small an amount as is consistent with striking a blow of suflicient f orce to cause a knife to cut the leather. This is ilnportant because it reduces the vibration incident to the operation of the machine. In large factorieswhee a number of such machines are in operation close to each other, this is a matter of no inconsiderable importance. The high velocity of the hammer induced by the compressed air contributes in a marked degree to the lightness of the hammer. The use of compressed air (or any elastic fluid or other equivalent elastic medium), as the means for transmitting the power to the machine, contributes to reduce the amount of power required to operate the machine as it eliminates the friction of the line shaftin'g, countershafting, belting, otherwise necessarily employed in machinery of this character. It also eliminates the use of complicated clutch mechanisms which are large power consumers and require considerable attention for their proper upkeep. It is to be observed further that the provision of a rigid support for the hammer and hammer carrier which receives the counter-thrust of the hammer depressin means also forms an important feature o 'a construction in which it is desired to employ a comparativelyA light hammer. By such a construction the necessity for employing parts having considerable inertia is avoided and yet a positive cutting action is assured.

The expression leather cutting machine, employed in the claims, is descriptive merely and not definitive, as it is apparent that the machine may be used for cutting other materials.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specifically described in the foregoing description of the preferred form of machine, as the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other and diferent forms without going outside the definition thereof 'in the ollowing claims 1. A machine for cutting leather or other sheet material, having, in combination, a cutting block an arm supported at one side of said block t0 swing freely over said block but constrained a ainst movement toward and away from te block, a knife or die freely movable over the block, a hammer mounted on said arm in such manner that it may be moved relatively to the arm whereby it may be brought into operative position over the knife or die wherever located on the block, and pneumatic means operating between said arm and hammer for causing the hammer to deliver a quick sharp blow to the knife.

2. A machine for cutting leather or other sheet material, having, in combination, a cutting block, an arm constrained from vertical movement relative to the block and mounted at one side of the block to swing freely over the block, a hammer carried by. said arm andv movable toward and away from t-he arm support whereby the hammer may be brought into operative position over any part of the block, a knife or die freely movable over the block and pneumatic means operating between the arm and the hammer for causing the hammer to deliver a quick sharp blow to the knife, the counter-thrust from the operation of said means being received by said arm.

3. A leather cutting machine, having, in combination, a cutting block, a light weight hammer supported in position to be moved over any portion of the cutting block, said hammer being rovided with pneumatic actuating means :wing provision Vfor cutting oil the supply of air by the same movement that. admits air thereto, substantially as described.

4;. A leather cutting machine, having, in combination, a cutting block, a hammer and hammer carrier, a support therefor having provision permitting the hammer carrier and hammer to be moved loveany portion of the cutting block, said hammer carrier being provided with a cylinder, and the hammer with a piston supported in .said cylinder and means for introducin of the block, said support being constrained from vertical movement relative to said lblock and pneumatic means for depressing air to and exhausting it from said cylin er, sub-- said hammer to force the die through stock supported on the block, the counter-thrust from said means being received by the rigid slpport.

6. A machine of the class described, having, in combination a cutting block, a knife or die freely movabie over said block, a vertically movable hammer, a support for said hammerv movable therewith to bring the hammer into operative position above said knife or die wherever located on the block, said support bein constrained from vertical movement re ative to said block and pneumatically actuated means for effecting a vertical movement of said lhammer relaftive to said support and said block.

In testimon whereof I aiiix -my signature, in presence o two witnesses.

WILLIAM GORDON. 

